Description

Lone Eagle Peak, though a mere 11,900 feet high, is one of the most remote and beautiful granite peaks in Colorado. It sits just west of the Continental Divide in the Indian Peaks near Pawnee Pass and is host to a classic Stettner route, the 5.7 north face, a must-do for the grade.

The Lone Eagle Cirque can be approached from the east over Pawnee Pass or from the west starting at the Monarch Lake trailhead. No matter which way you go it's a long hump. There is plenty of potential for new (trad) routes and bouldering in the Crater Lake/Triangle Lake area. This area is quite pristine. Do your best to keep it that way!

Getting There

From the east: access the Brainard Lake Recreation Area via the Peak-to-Peak Highway (northwest of Denver and north of Nederland). Drive west past Brainard Lake to the Long Lake trailhead and follow the Pawnee Pass trail 4-5 miles to the pass at 12,500 feet on the Continental Divide. Descend the west side of Pawnee Pass (very steep), passing Pawnee Lake en route to a junction with the Crater Lake Trail 3 miles below the pass. Hike a gentle uphill mile south to Crater Lake (camping permit required -- you can get these at the National Forest Service office in Boulder). Lone Eagle Peak is the towering pinnacle just south of and above the lake.

From the west: per Kaner: take US 34 north out of Granby. Exit to the east on Arapaho Bay Road. Skirt the southern side of Grand Lake; the road turns into solid gravel, smooth and well-kept, no 2WD worries.

This sustained excursion (lots of 4th and easy 5th class) starts on the summit of Lone Eagle Peak (reached either via the North Face Route or Solo Flight) and traverses south along a spectacular ridge to the seldom-visited summit of Iriquois (12,799). From the summit of Lone Eagle follow the Solo Flight route south to the one point at which it drops over a notch onto the west side of the ridge. Descend 100 feet west down a gully and continue up and south on a grassy, diagonalling bench below t...[more]Browse More Classics in CO

Kaner - thank you for the how to get there directions - I can't begin to explain how frustrated I have been with this and many of the Gov. websites... so many people assume you're local. Some of these directions really need to start by mentioning a couple of the surrounding cities to help get one in the right vicinity of the state. 14ers.com is the worst at this.... Thanks again! Much appreciated.

P.S. the Gov. website gave this info - from Colorado Highway 72 at Ward, turn west onto the Brainard Lake Road. Travel 2.5 miles to the Brainard Gateway Trailhead, and continue another two miles to Brainard Lake. The entrance station is open seasonally.

Klimbien, there are 2 ways to access this Peak. One is from the West - as per Kaner. The other is from the East as per the original directions. It depends on how much you want to walk vs. how much you want to drive.